Your Time is Now
by PaulsenKay
Summary: Sometimes, life is about trusting that the future can be amazing, even if it's different than you pictured. Post 9x10.


"You ready?"

Donna wasn't sure how to answer this question. She turned to look at Harvey, who was standing in the doorway with their suitcases, and took another look around the apartment, packed up in preparation for the movers. Looking at the New York skyline out the window, her chest tightened.

"Yeah, we should get downstairs. We don't want to be late for our flight," she said dismissively, grabbing her purse from the counter and walking quickly towards the door.

"Hey." His hand grasped for her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. "Are you sure you're okay with this? If you've changed your mind…"

She sighed. "I haven't, Harvey. This is the right thing for us. It's just hard to say goodbye."

"I know." His hand moved down to hers then, holding it tight.

"Honestly, I can't believe you're the one who's ready to walk out and not look back."

"Donna, I'm going with you, so it doesn't really matter where I'm going, does it?"

He had the same smile she'd seen at their impromptu wedding- one of hope and contentment. He'd been so calm about the whole transition- leaving the firm, leaving New York- because they were in this together and that's what counted.

"You're right. I did say I'd follow you to the ends of the earth once."

His smile dropped a little. "Donna, I don't want you to feel like you're giving up something for me."

"I know. I'm not. It's not that I don't want to go, it's just…scary to leave this all behind. I've been working in the same place for so long, with the same people, with you…" She paused to take a breath, "It's been a long time since I thought about what I'd do if I ever left the firm."

"Donna." He tugged at her hand, getting her to look up at him. "You are the most incredible woman I've ever met, and the firm would have fallen apart years ago without you- but if you want to do something else, that's okay. You put me first for years, and now I think it's your chance."

"My chance for what?"

"You told me once that you wanted more, and being COO was the start of that, but I think…maybe what you really want is something you get on your own. And this fresh start could be your chance to figure that out."

_It's not about the money, and I've never said that out loud, but I can't pretend it's not true anymore._

She tilted her head at him, a smile beginning to form. "Harvey Specter, when did you get so intuitive?"

"I learned from the best."

She squeezed his hand and looked around the apartment one last time.

"Okay. Let's do this."

They walked out of the building for the last time, and when they reached the airport, Ray helped them unload their suitcases onto the curb. Harvey shook his hand one last time, thanking him for his years of service.

"It's been a pleasure, Mr. Specter."

Harvey was comforted by the fact that he'd already secured Ray his new job- driving Louis and Sheila to work (and giving Lucy Litt the safest ride in Manhattan). They'd already received several text updates from Louis, one asking if Ray's car was equipped with a car seat, and the other a photo of Lucy with a sign that said, _Good luck Uncle Harvey and Aunt Donna_.

As their plane took off, Donna looked out the window to see the buildings getting smaller and smaller beneath them. This city had tested and challenged her, had made her crazy, but had also been the setting for her life's biggest moments. As it got blurrier and farther away, she felt Harvey's hand sliding into hers.

"We'll be back." He said, simply, and the lump in her throat started to fade away.

XXX

Their first weeks in Seattle got off to a bumpy start. Their moving truck was late, forcing them to spend a few nights with no furniture and only the outfits they'd packed in their suitcases. Harvey and Mike jumped immediately into their old rapport, and Donna was thrilled to reunite with Rachel- but when it came time to go to work, she felt lost. At the firm, she had been indispensable, responsible for everything going right. But at the clinic, they already had a system. They didn't have a problem for her to fix.

She and Harvey left the office one Friday, and as they got to their car- driving to work still felt foreign to her- she stopped just short of the door.

"Harvey."

He turned to face her and saw something he'd seen only once before. Donna Paulsen, who exuded confidence, was nervous.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's just, when you said I needed to figure out what I want…would you be upset if we didn't work together anymore?"

He didn't hesitate before responding. "No."

"No? That's it?"

"That's it. Donna, we make a great team, but you should be working somewhere that can use everything you have to offer. I was always so afraid of you leaving me, but…you're not going anywhere. We just wouldn't work together anymore."

XXX

She went on nine job interviews, all of them the same- they loved her personality, wanted to work with her, but had to go another direction. She might have been a COO in New York, but in Seattle, especially at companies that weren't law firms, it didn't mean a thing. She didn't have the MBA. She didn't have the business experience.

_Instead of pursuing my dream, I chose this. And that let me pretend that maybe I was good enough to make it. But what if I wasn't?_

"Donna Paulsen?"

She smoothed her skirt down and stood to greet interviewer number ten, a woman dressed in a designer pantsuit who introduced herself as Rebecca. They sat in a bright, windowed conference room that reminded Donna a lot of the old firm, and she spent fifteen minutes answering questions about herself and her strengths before even discussing the position at stake.

"So, Donna, why are you interested in being an HR associate?"

Donna smiled politely, "In my old position, I managed many of our employees and I think those skills would translate well into HR." She'd prepared this response in advance and felt like a broken record in each interview.

"I should rephrase the question. Why are you applying for an associate position when you were working as a COO at your old firm?"

She hadn't prepared for that question, but opted for honesty, feeling that she had nothing left to lose. "I've been looking to pivot my career but I've been working in the same law firm for over a decade, so it's proving to be a harder transition than I expected."

Rebecca nodded. "Understandable. I'll be honest with you, Donna, you'd be an amazing asset to any office and you're probably overqualified for this position, but I don't know that this is the right fit for you."

Her heart sank. She prided herself on being unapologetic and confident, but it was getting tougher to maintain alongside all the rejection.

"Let me ask you something. Your only degree is a BA in theatre, right?"

"I know, I don't have a masters or an MBA, but-"

"I'm not making a judgment, Donna. I ask because I think there's another job for you."

"In what department?"

"At another company, actually." Rebecca set the resume down on the table to give Donna her full attention. "This is unorthodox for a job interview, but my sister runs a nonprofit and she's having a difficult time filling a position there. They need someone with enough business sense and leadership experience to run the day to day operations, but she's adamant that she find someone with an artistic background. Her company brings arts education programs and theatre into low income schools.

I've been listening to her talk about this all week and I think you'd be perfect. You've got the management skills, you obviously have a creative background, and I've only known you for twenty minutes and I can tell you have an…empathy that's hard to find in corporate people. I'll put you in touch with her if you're interested."

_You have never been more beautiful, and talented, and perfect than you are right now._

Donna left that interview with an unfamiliar type of hope building- the same one she'd felt when she developed The Donna, before that dream crashed and burned.

She had her interview the very next day, as the previous COO was leaving at the end of the week and they were pressed for time looking for the replacement. When she got to their apartment, Harvey was waiting in the living room, a glass of scotch in his hand and a glass of wine on the table, poured for her.

"Well? How did it go?"

She smiled, kicking off her heels and curling next to him on the couch. "I think they liked me."

"Of course they liked you, everyone likes you."

She laughed. "Well, it just depends on if I'm the right fit for them. I don't want to get my hopes up, but Harvey…this place is amazing. They bring in professional actors to perform at schools so kids can be exposed to theatre, and then they lead them in acting games and host after school programs for the kids whose parents can't get them until after work, and-" she stopped herself, "What? Why are you staring at me?"

"You're cute when you get excited about things."

He kissed her softly, and all the tension of the day started slipping away. Reluctantly, she pulled away, resting her forehead on his.

"I can't get too excited about this. It might not happen."

"You're the perfect fit, and if they don't see that, they're nuts."

"You never know, Harvey. Not everyone sees me the way that you do. And if I do get it…what if I'm not good at it? What if they regret hiring me?"

He leaned back from her, taking her hand. "Where is this coming from? I've never seen you question yourself so much."

She took a deep breath. "Because for the last thirteen years, I've been working a job you gave me and I don't know if I would have gotten it on my own."

Her words hung in the air, heavy between them.

"Donna, listen to me. I said I couldn't be me without you and I meant it, but not just because I loved you even back then. I said it because you're special, and you're damn good at what you do. If I hadn't brought you with me, you would have gotten to the top on your own somewhere else. I'm lucky you decided to join me, but…you're special because you're you."

She smiled up at him. "This new thing you're doing where you always know what to say? It's freaking me out."

"Maybe it's good we won't work together anymore, then."

"Don't joke! You'll jinx me."

She moved closer to him, nestling into his arms.

"It would be weird to not have you at the office after all this time, though."

"Yeah. I mean, Mike would be totally lost without me."

She could feel him laughing. "Yep. Totally lost. You're stuck with me forever, though."

"Forever. That sounds pretty good to me."

He kissed the top of her head and suddenly, her phone was ringing. She scrambled to pick it up off the coffee table and with one look, he knew it was the call.

"Hello?"

Her heart was pounding as she listened, picking up on the important words- "you'd make an amazing leader for our team" and "we'd love to offer you the position". She glanced at Harvey and he could tell immediately from her smile that it was a yes.

She had been terrified to leave New York. To step into a new life (albeit with Harvey by her side) and say goodbye to a place where she had grown and changed and found so many of the people she considered family. But if the past year had taught her anything, it was that you can never really plan for life. Things change. People come and go. Sometimes you get what you've wanted for so long, and sometimes things break your heart. She had given up on ever having a life with Harvey, and now here he was next to her. They didn't need to work down the hall from each other, because she'd still come home to him every night.

Sometimes, life is about trusting that the future can be amazing, even if it's different than you pictured.

She looked at Harvey, with the biggest, proudest grin on his face. _With you, my chips are always up. _

She felt the wedding ring on her finger. _I can never go back to the way I was before._

She looked at the couple of boxes that were left to be unpacked, and the closet that still needed to be organized. This wasn't the life they had in New York- but it was theirs.

And this job? It was more. And it was hers.

_Your time is now. And you're gonna kill it. _


End file.
